Eaves-trough hanger.



No. 635,359, Patented Oct. 24, I899. E. E. TAFT.

EAVES TROUGH HANGER.

(Application filed May 27, 1899.)

2 SheetsSheet I.

(No Model.)

SEER

No. 635,359. Patented Oct. 24, I899. E. E. TAFT.

EAVES TROUGH HANGER.

(Application filed May 27, 1899.\

2 SheetsSheet 2 (No Model.)

UNITE STATES FATE EAVES TROUGH HANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,359, dated October 24, 1899.

Application filed May 27, 1899. Serial N0- 718,4=7Z. (No model.)

To wZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD EDWARDS TAFT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Pleasant, in the county of Henry and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Eaves-Trough Hanger, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to eaves-tron gh han gers; and it has for its object to provide a new and useful hanger of this character which can be easily applied to the eaves trough or gutter without the aid of tools and without pierc' ing the trough or gutter for the reception of rivets or similar fasteners.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction of hanger which permits an adjustment thereof, so that it can be tightened or retightened upon the trough or gutter to provide for rigidly holding the latter in place against the building.

The invention also contemplates constructing the hanger of different parts separably connected together, whereby the separate parts of the hanger maybe formed of material of different strength which will provide for properly bracing the gutter, while at the same time facilitating the manipulation of the hanger to enable the workmen to readily adjust it upon the trough or gutter.

Another object of the invention is to provide the hanger with new and useful means for anchoring the eaves trough or gutter, so as to prevent the same moving upward under the pressure of the wind or from blowing entirely off from the eaves of the building, as frequently happens in cases where the eaves trough or gutter is improperly secured in place or is not provided with means for being anchored against upward displacement.

With these and other objects in view, which will readily appear as the invention is understood, the latter consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

While the essential features of the invention are necessarily susceptible to modification without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, still the preferred embodiment of the improvements is shown in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an eavestrough hanger constructed in accordance with this invention and shown in its applied position upon a trough or gutter. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the hanger applied to the trough or gutter. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on the line 3 8 of Fig. 2, exposing the clamp-flanges at one end of the cross-bar to provide for securing thereto one end of the bowed bottom straps. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a hanger, showing a modification of the separable connection between one end of the bottom strap and the cross-bar of the hanger. Fig; 5 is a perspective View of an eaves trough hanger constructed in accordance with this invention and fitted with anchor or holddown straps to secure the same against upward displacement. Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the hanger having the anchor or holddown straps associated therewith.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates a section of an ordinary eaves trough or gutter such as is commonly employed at the edge of a roof to receive the drain-Water therefrom, and said trough or gutter is provided at its outer edge with the usual roll-bead 2, While the inner edge of the same is adapted to be held close against the building. To provide for the proper support of the trough or gutter against the building, there is employed a plurality of hangers arranged at suitable distances apart, and the present invention contemplates a novel construction of hanger of this type which can be readily applied to the trough or gutter, while at the same time bracing it and holding the same in position.

The hanger forming .the subject-matter of the present application essentially consists of two parts or members-namely, the horizontal cross-bar 3 and the bowed or arched bottom strap -l-and the horizontal cross-bar 3 is preferably made of a strip of metal of sufficient rigidity and strength to provide for thoroughly bracing the trough or gutter and preventing the latter from bending out of shape. The said horizontal cross-bar 3 has bent from the longitudinal side edges thereof parallel straight strengthening-flanges 5, which extend the fulllength of that portion of the cross-bar lying in the space between the inner and outer edges of the trough or gutter and providing means for materially strengthening the bar, so that the same will properly subserve its function as a rigid stay or brace for the trough. At the inner end of the horizontal cross-bar 3 the strip from which the bar is formed is folded upon itself in a vertical plane to provide an upstanding hook 6, which is adapted to receive therein the ver tically-disposed inner edge of the trough 1, and in the upper closed end thereof the said horizontal cross-bar 3 is provided with an elongated transverse slot 7, adapted to receive one end of the bottom strap 4 in the manner to be presently explained. Opposite the upstanding hook (3 thereof the cross-bar 3 is provided at its outer end with an approximately cylindrical eye 8, adapted to fit over the roll-bead 2 at the outer edge of the trough and at its outer terminal having the eye 8. Said cross-bar is further provided at the side ,edges thereof with oppositely-located 'inturned clamping-flanges 9, which are bent over and clenched upon the side edges of the bowed bottom strap 4 atthe outer terminal thereof. The inturned clamp-flanges 9 at the outer end of the cross-bar 3 provide a simple yet strong connection between the outer contiguous ends of the cross-bar and the bottom strap, and by reason of this connection it will be understood that the different parts or members 3 and 4 of the hanger may be made of strips of metal of different strength, whereas if the entire hanger were made of one continuous strip of metal, as is commonly the case, it would not be possible to obtain this result. In this connection it may be explained that it is necessaryto have the cross-bar sufficiently strong to provide for a thorough bracing of the hanger, while the bowed bottom strap should be made of lighter material to facilitate the ready manipulation and bending thereof.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings the inturned clampfianges 9 of the outerend of the bottom strap are located within the eye 8 and curved to conform thereto, thereby making several thicknesses of metal at this point and greatly strengthening the hanger at the outer edge of the gutter. However, in the modification shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings the flanges 9 are located below the plane of the eye 8, and the extreme outer terminal of the strap 4 is bent downward and over the flanges 9 to form a lock-fold 10, which produces a very strong joint connection between the outer contiguous ends of the cross-bar and the bottom strap.

After the hanger, constructed as desired, is placed over a trough orgutter, with the hook (3 thereof fitting over the inner edge of the same, the inner end 11 of the strap 4 is passed through the slot 7 within the hook and bent downward to form a fasteningtongue which securely locks the parts together at the inner edge of the gutter, while at the same time leaving no material projections to interfere with the gutter lying close against the building. In the event of the parts becoming loose the fastening-tongue 11 can be straightened out and the bottom strap drawn tighter around the trough, after which the said tongue may be rebent to its original position. It will thus be seen that the device is adjustable to the extent ofpermitting the same being tightened upon the gutter at any time desired.

The upper horizontal cross-bar 3 of the hanger has securely riveted thereto at a point between its ends one end of the usual inclined roof-strap 12, which is attached to the roof in the ordinary manner.

Under ordinaryconditions the roof-strap 12 is sufficient to fasten the hanger to the roof of a building; but this strap usually is of not sufficient strength to withstand the upward pressure of a strong wind against the eaves trough or gutter, and in order to obviate the possibility of the eaves trough or gutter being blown upward orentirely off of the caves of the building the present invention contemplates associating with the hanger herein described a pair of inner and outer anchor or holddown straps 14 and 15, respectively, which extend below the plane of the bottom strap 4 of the hanger. The inner anchor or holddown strap 14 lies close against the building, and while the same may consist of a separate strap suitably fastened to the side of the hanger next the building still the said strap is preferably formed by a downward continuation or extension of the inner end 11 of the bottom strap 4, as plainly shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings. The outer anchor or holddown strap 15, however, is a separate strip of material and has the upper extremity 16 thereof curved within the eye 8 at the on ter end of the cross-bar 3, thereby reinforcing the device at the point where it engages with the roll-bead 2 of the trough or gutter. Contiguous to the upper curved extremity 16 thereof, within the widened eye 8 of the hanger, the said outer anchor or holddown strap 15 passes behind the outer end of the bottom strap 4 and is engaged within the inturned clamping-flanges 9, which flanges serve the dual function of fastening the outer end of the bottom strap 4 as Well as the upper end of the anchor or holddown strap 15.

The inner and outer anchor or holddown straps 14 and 15 extend a material distance below the plane of the hanger and are provided contiguous to their lower ends with a plurality of nail-holes 17, adapted to register and receive nails or other suitable fasteners for securing the same to the wall of the building, and thereby serve to effectually anchor or hold down the hanger.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction and manner of using and adjusting of the herein-described eaves-trough hanger will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in. the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. An eaves-trough hanger'comprising a cross-bar provided at its outer end with an eye for the bead of the trough, and with inturned clamp-flanges at its side edges, and a bowed bottom strap having one end interlocked With said inturned clamp-flanges of the cross-bar, substantially as set forth.

2; An eaves-trough hanger comprising a straight cross-bar provided at its outer end with an eye for the bead of the trough and with inturned clamp-flanges at the side edges thereof, and a curved bottom strap having the outer end thereof interlocked with said clamp-flanges, substantially as set forth.

3. An eaves-trough hanger comprising a straight cross-bar provided at its outer end with an eye for the bead of the trough, and

with a pair of inturned clamp-flanges at the side edges thereof, and a curved bottom strap having its outer end engaged between and folded over said flanges, substantially as set forth. 1

4. An, eaves-trough hanger comprising a cross-bar provided at its outer end with an eye for the head of the trough, a bottom strap having the outer end thereof interlocked with the similar end of the cross-bar, the inner end of said bottom strap being detachably engaged with the inner end of the cross-bar and extended downward to form an inner anchor or holddown strap, and an outer anchor .or holddown strap-having the upper end thereof connected with the outer end of the cross-bar, substantially as set forth.

5. An eaves-trough hanger comprising a cross-bar provided at its outer end with an eye for the head of the trough, and with inturned clamping-flanges, a bottom strap having the outer end thereof interlocked With said clamping-flanges, and the inner end detachably engaged With the inner end of the cross-bar and extended downward to form an inner anchor or holddown strap, and an outer anchor or holddown strap having theupper end thereof also engaged by said clampingfianges, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ED WARD EDWARDS TAFT.

Witnesses:

JAMES PURDIE, O. G. WHITTAKER. 

